The Sechuan button is a small yellow flower bud that, when eaten, creates a strong tingling or numbing sensation in the mouth. It is native to Africa, has a multitude of medicinal benefits and is today used by world class chefs in sushi dishes and other culinary delights.

The active ingredient is spilanthol, a chemical that’s used in food manufacturing and candies (to counteract astringents, which dry out the mouth, and to create the sensation of “freshness”.)

The full Sechuan button experience comes in three stages: first, a grassy taste, followed by a tingling and numbing sensation, then salivation, and finally a fresh, clean finish. (It’s usually broken up into smaller pieces for cooking.) Restaurants offer it in between meals to balance the palette.

Clearly, having something feel like it’s electrocuting your mouth isn’t the only highlight of Sechuan button consumption, and, as one blogger described it, “it's the closest that anybody could compare was putting a 9v battery on your tongue.” The Washington Post has more demurely called its taste a “mix of Altoids and Tellicherry.” It’s not an unpleasant experience, and it’s actually really good for you by containing an abundance of antioxidants.

The button comes from the Acmella oleracea plant (also known as paracress, the "toothache plant" or sometimes the "eyeball plant"). It’s long been used for flavoring and health reasons in South America, Africa and Asia. Indian manufacturers use the buttons to flavor chewing tobacco, for example, while others use it’s numbing qualities to help relieve toothaches and stomach ailments, and some believe it can help treat blood parasites. (The Sechuan button is unrelated to the Sechuan peppercorn, which was long banned in the U.S.)

Restaurant quality Sechuan buttons

Who's eating it?The appeal of the buttons remains largely to high end chefs, mostly because they are very hard to find in the U.S. In 2006, Chef Jeff Ramsey used the buttons in his winning entry into the Seven Sushi Samurai contest. Merriman's restaurant in Waimea on the Big Island is the latest to use this garnish, buying multiple plants from me earlier this year.Among the world famous restaurants that have caught the button fever are The East Coast Haru Japanese restaurant group (which has used it in cocktails), Poste in Washington, D.C. (which has used it in a halibut sauce), and Ferran Adria’s El Bulli restaurant in Spain (which serves Sechuan button-infused milk).Other than being considered one of the top ten fancy foods, Sechuan buttons are very high in antioxidants, so including them on your restaurants menu might not be a bad idea. I eat a handful a day and absolutely love them!

Here are a few gourmet dishes that call for this special flower:

Scallop & Shrimp Carpaccio

Kona Kampachi Tartare

Hiramasa Tartare

Dungeness Crab in Dashi

Any sushi, salad, or sorbet...

Sechuan buttons also make a great mixer for cocktails or drinks. From lemonades to margaritas, this flower can electrify whatever you mix it with. I like to make an electric lemonade during the hot summer months here in Hawaii.

If you're interested in buying fresh or dried Sechuan buttons please send me an email and I will reply as soon as I can. I grow them year round so I always have them available. Prices listed in the brochure above but may be changed without notice, and we can always work out a deal. (Overnight/Next day/Inter-island delivery is available with at least two days notice. Last updated 3/2017)